November auto sales rate hits 17.2M

The auto sales rate totaled 17.2 million in November, according to Autodata. That marks the strongest pace for the month of November since 2003. The figure was well above the 16.7 million pace analysts had estimated, according to Thomson Reuters.

U.S. automobile sales rose 4.6 percent in November to 1,302,002, Autodata reported Tuesday. Raw auto sales for November were the best since 2001 when GM launched it's "Keep America Rolling" campaign in an attempt to kickstart post-9/11 sales.